"When I look back, I don't know how the hell we ever did that film." - John Frankenheimer
At 176 minutes, Grand Prix is the very definition of epic, but is so perfectly edited and shot that it never really feels that length. I'm always weary of movies with bloated running times, but Grand Prix even features the 5-minute intermission as seen in theatres, so there's no reason to feel guilty for getting up and stretching your legs a bit.
The film follows four Formula 1 drivers as they question life, chase women, and face a crisis of confidence. It's very Day-of-Thunder-ish, but I guess there's only so much story you can shoehorn in-between racing scenes in a film like this. The documentary feel adds an authentic edge to it, which helps keep a far distance from Tony Scott's similarly-themed disaster.
Shot in 70mm and originally projected in Cinerama (a curved screen for an immersive experience, an early form of IMAX in a way), John Frankenheimer does not hold back and thrusts the audience right into the middle of real races. Up until this point racing movies were mostly b-grade drive-in material with actors shot against a projected backdrop (think of Clark Gable in To Please a Lady) and audiences had never really seen it for real, in color, and especially not from the driver's point-of-view. Some shots are mesmerizing, especially the camera, one inch above the surface of the tarmac, hurtling down the road. Few movies have ever given you this sense of speed. And it's all done for real. I'm not saying that there's no place for CGI in movies, but if you want something to look good, you're going to have to do it the hard way.
Frankenheimer had little regard towards the end of his career after making drek like The Island of Doctor Moreau and Reindeer Games (though Ronin more than makes up for it). I always thought he was an underrated filmmaker who deserved more acclaim. Grand Prix deservedly won three Oscars for Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, and Best Film Editing. It will never win awards or recognition for the story, but for sheer sight and sound it's a force to be reckoned with.
At 176 minutes, Grand Prix is the very definition of epic, but is so perfectly edited and shot that it never really feels that length. I'm always weary of movies with bloated running times, but Grand Prix even features the 5-minute intermission as seen in theatres, so there's no reason to feel guilty for getting up and stretching your legs a bit.
The film follows four Formula 1 drivers as they question life, chase women, and face a crisis of confidence. It's very Day-of-Thunder-ish, but I guess there's only so much story you can shoehorn in-between racing scenes in a film like this. The documentary feel adds an authentic edge to it, which helps keep a far distance from Tony Scott's similarly-themed disaster.
Shot in 70mm and originally projected in Cinerama (a curved screen for an immersive experience, an early form of IMAX in a way), John Frankenheimer does not hold back and thrusts the audience right into the middle of real races. Up until this point racing movies were mostly b-grade drive-in material with actors shot against a projected backdrop (think of Clark Gable in To Please a Lady) and audiences had never really seen it for real, in color, and especially not from the driver's point-of-view. Some shots are mesmerizing, especially the camera, one inch above the surface of the tarmac, hurtling down the road. Few movies have ever given you this sense of speed. And it's all done for real. I'm not saying that there's no place for CGI in movies, but if you want something to look good, you're going to have to do it the hard way.
Frankenheimer had little regard towards the end of his career after making drek like The Island of Doctor Moreau and Reindeer Games (though Ronin more than makes up for it). I always thought he was an underrated filmmaker who deserved more acclaim. Grand Prix deservedly won three Oscars for Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, and Best Film Editing. It will never win awards or recognition for the story, but for sheer sight and sound it's a force to be reckoned with.